with all eyes on her "most think that Darkness is the only corruptive one but it's not, Light is more so," tears start to appear in her eyes "I've seen great heroes be turned into monsters by their duty and the Light. Don't let it control your heart"

"Your wrong" A voice comes from the black dome "My Mommy and Daddy DO love, if they didn't they wouldn't sit with with me every night and tell me how sorry they are for missing everything with tears in eyes" with that the dome shatters into a field of purple stardust with a silver coated young mare standing with a resolute gaze next to a pink one lying on the ground with a soulless look

Weaver leapt at Bottle with forelegs wide open for a hug but was hit in the air by an icicle in her flank

"darn my aim was better when I was trapped by rocks" Sweetie said shrugging her shoulders

"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT HURTING THEM!" Bottle Rocket lashes out at the filly, smashing her into the ground. As the tinny pony tired to rise, throwing up spears of ice to defend herself the older pony drove in aging, creaking the ice and driving tendrils of light into his pron advisory.

There was a terrible moment of silence as Bottle Rocket stood over the tiny unicorn, then he slowly lifted her up with one writhing tendril of light, warped around her neck. "That's what you get for hurting my friends." He said before tossing the barely continuous pony aide.

He turned his head back to face his friends, eyes closed, but face set in a tired smile. "Its OK. Its over."

Rockbraker let out a sigh of relief as he ran over to tend to the fallen Spell Weaver. Fever Pitch, too felt relief flood through him as he asked. "Relay? Your OK now?"

Bottle Rocket nodded as his tired smile broke into a grin. He opened his eyes, relieving only blinding white light. "Yes Fever Pitch, I am alright now that its over and I can finally focuses on all of you." He stalked forward, tilting his head towered Mico. "Nice speech." He sneered. "To late for these traitors to learn much from it, but I do appreciate the help." He looked back towered strange ponies had appeared. "No idea what you two are meant to be, but after I finish with these three we can take a few minutes to talk that over before I go and take care of Luminous."

Burning beams of light, paradoxically intertwined with darkness crackled to life around Bottle Rocket as he finally reached his friends, Rockbraker and Fever Pitch helping to support the now twice badly injured Spell Weaver. "This will be over far to quickly." Bottle Rocket growled, light arching around the four, cutting them off from the others.

With a flash the four ponies where cut off from the world in a bubble of light.

"Rocket, stand down, you don't want to do this." Rockbarker said, moving too put himself between Bottle Rocket and the others.

"Oh you want that don't you?" Bottle Rocket sneered. "You had your doubts about me all this time didn't you? You thought I was unstable, prone to letting my emotions get in the way. Well guess what?" He jumped forwarded, closing the distance glaring directly into Rockbeakers face with his blindingly bright eyes. "You where right! But not how you figured. I let my emotions stop me from killing the monsters that threatened the world! I let them stop me from seeing what you where all plotting to do to Rockland this whole time!"

A sudden cry distracted Rock as Fever Pitch was flung forwarded by the bubble. Bottle Rocket glared at the other pegasuses. "And you! After everything we went through, you never stopped believing that everything would end alright? Well, do you still think that? Now that I can finally see clearly what you have all been hiding for so long! Do you still think that there is something, ANYTHING worth smiling about?"

"Yes." Fever Pitch looked up at Bottle Rocket and smiled. "Because I know that you aren't going to hurt us. Just like how I know you didn't save Spell Weaver so you could kill her and how you didn't kill Sweetie Belle even though you could have. Because something is trying to make you do this, but its going to fail."

Bottle Rocket recoiled as if he had been stuck. "NO ONE IS FORCING ME TO DO ANYTHING!" He shouted at the pron pony. "I am doing this because I WANT to do this! Because I know, for a fact that you are all going to turn of me! On Rockland! Your going to kill everypony I cared for and there is nothing I can do about it if I don't kill you know!" Tears where streaming down his face as Bottle Rocket brought down crackling spears of light, pointed directly at his friends.

"Then do it." Spell Weavers voice was weak as she spoke, eyes still closed. "I'm... not going to last much longer without some help. That last spear hit me pretty hard, so if your going to kill us then do it now." She opened her eyes a crack and looked at Bottle Rocket. "If your so far gone that you are just going to let me bleed out here then finish it quickly, please."

There was a terrible silence, then with a terrible scream Bottles eyes blazed with sudden golden light. "AS YOU WISH!" The spears lanced forward as the bubble burst, tendrils of darkness snapping out in all directions.

Outside the ponies gasped as they saw beams of light intertwined with darkness shinning through each of the three guards, with Bottle Rocket standing in front of them, body covered in fading patches of light and shade. Then Bottle Rocket collapsed and the beams of incongruously melded light and darkness faded.

Twilight was the first to reach them. As she looked at the perfectly healed bodies of the three guards he shook her head. "What happened in there?" She wondered aloud. She then cheeked on the fallen Bottle Rocket. He seemed back to normal at a glance, but as she lifted one eye lid to cheek the statues of his eyes, she was shocked to see that they where both milky white and unresponsive. She looked at the slow rise and fall of his sides and sighed. Bottle Rocket was blind, but alive.

Mico shook her head "I can't, once it latches on to it's target forceful remove could damage the host, the only safe why is very difficult. The host has to face and overcome the fear that the spell is using against him" Mico said looking at Weaver "you love him, don't you?"

"with all of my heart and more"

"then go to him" Weaver looked at her confused "I can help you go into his subconscious, help him Weaver love is stronger than fear" with a nod Mico began

Sweetie began to get up "time to die all of you" she said panting, throwing a icicle at Mico that was blocked by a translucent blue scimitar held aloft by a pale blue aura, Sweetie's eyes widen as the wielder steps into view "Rarity!?"

Rarity walks toward Sweetie with six gemstone swords of diamond, topaz, onix, emerald, ruby, and pulling the sapphire one back from it defensive spot "what? a lady must know how defend her self, go Mico I'll save my sister"

with a nod Mico begins " Caliga Luna commodo sino is unus ut ingredior vestri somnium universitas ut servo unus is diligo" with that Weaver passes out and enters the dream world

{alright you've got Spell Weaver in the dream world, the only one who can hurt her there is Bottle Rocket every thing else may as well be a ghost}

Spell Weaver found herself walking through a rocky hillside, surrounded on all sides by mist. A head of her she heard the sounds of ponies talking. She made her way up slowly and carefully, not wanting to and turn a hoof on the traitorous ground.

As she drew closer to the voices, the mist parted to revile a large pegasus stallion who she did not know talking to what could only be a younger version of Bottle Rocket. The stallion looked unhappy as he said, "I don't trust him. We make enough on our own without you having help this stranger." His lip curled slightly as he added emphases on the last word.

"I know dad, but he works for Vyatka and the manager said that the company was going to be very happy with whoever helped him out. All I need to do his show him around for a year, that's it! Its not like I am going with him to Canterlot or anything." Young Bottle Rocket rolled his eyes at the apparent ridicules nature of the idea.

His father shook his head. "I spouse so, but I worry about you Bottle. Don't forget who you are or where you come from. I don't want to lose you to some silver tonged outsider."

The mist closed aging and Spell Weaver walked on. Ahead of her she head the sounds of fighting and she picked up her pace. Once aging the mist parted, reveling a sense of carnage and destruction. The village that she had visited less then a week ago burned as gold clad ponies marched through the town, lighting fires and attacking any pony's that tired to resist there onslaught.

Over this she heard the voice of the older stallion aging. "After Nightmare Moon was overthrown her followers where routed and slain by Celestia's army. It was on that day that our ancestors saw Equestria for what it was and what it would do to thous who disobeyed. They founded the towns here in the mountens to avoid the ion hoof of the tyrant nation, but as time has gone by they have pushed further and further into this land from the south as the Griffons push down from the north. One day the Equestiran's will come for us and we will have to be prepared."

Suddenly a lone figure appeared at the end of the village, a spear under one wing and a stick of dynamite held in its mouth. A voice, familiar though younger then it had been before floated down from above. "If they come, where going to kick there flank's right back to Equestria!"

The older voice chuckled. "If you let your mother hear you say that then the Equestrian's aren't going to be the only ones getting there flanks kicked! But yes, Bottle, if they come where going to show them they can't just kick us around."

The mist closed out aging and a shaken Spell Weaver continued on. Once aging she heard voices ahead, but this time before she reached them a voice spoke up from behind her. "First love, sad story and not all that reverent. I would skip it and save yourself a bit of unpleasantness."

Spell Weaver spun and found herself face to face with a green unicorn, who was smiling warmly as he trotted up to her. "Sounder?" She asked, confused. The unicorn looked like the same one she had meet back at the village, but he was younger and more carefree looking then she had remembered him.

The unicorn chuckled. "Try Bottle Rocket's version of Sounder. This is how he remembers me. As his mentor and as the surrogate father who took care of him after poor Granite Wing was lost in a dog griffon raid." He shook his head sadly. "I tired my best to turn him away from the path that his family and friend's set him down, but I doubt I ever truly succeeded."

Sounder waved a hoof and suddenly the two where surrounded by dozens of Bottle Rockets, all talking, arguing, playing with and fighting against ponies, but all with the same message said over and over. "Don't forget who you are. This if your home and we are your people. Protect your people. Don't betray us!"

Sounder wave his hoof again and the apparitions diapered. "Nice people, Rocklander's?" Sounder chuckled humorlessly. "Bottle Rocket see's me as being something of a stick in the mud who can't understated how important loyalty to his people is and since this me his just his view of me... well I guess I don't have much of a chose, but to agree."

Spell Weaver shook her head. "I think all of this is driving him insane! Do you know where he is? Can I talk to him?"

Sounder nodded. "This is his dream world, your seeing all of this because so his he, but your not the only one who wants to have a talk with him." The unicorn's horn glows and the mist clears a path to the top of the hill where Bottle Rocket sat motionless, looking down over something that Spell Weaver could not see, but that was not what made her gasp in terror. For sitting next to him, whispering into his ear waving his hoof as Sounder had done before was none other then Luminous himself!

{Finishing this in a bit. Kinda takes awhile to come up with and write all this in one go.}

Rockbreaker blocks any attacks that slip past Rarity "how long are they gonna be out for?"

Mico eyes him "it's relative, it could be minutes or it could be hours"

Sweetie with her eyes that could spot a sour note on the score sheet saw an opening and took it, sending a large and fast ice pulse though the ground toward Mico but Rock saw the ground frost over

"MICO! look out" he yelled pushing out of the way as a very large ice spike leapt from the ground too quickly for him to defend him self and was speared though his core

"ROCK!""ROCK!"Rainbow shielded Scootaloo's eyesas did Applejack with ApplebloomSweetie grinned evillyas Rarity let her swords slack at the sound the act made

Mico rushed to break the ice and did letting Rock land with a thud "Mother if you have any love for your children any more, please help me" she said with tears in her eyes, after a moment her eyes began to glow "Mother's fortune is with us," her body began to glow with a bright green glow as did Rock's "Ultimate restituo" with that the glow in her eyes faded but the glow of their bodies got brighter

with tears in her eyes she hugged him "she was beautiful, she made the world and my Brothers, sister, and myself to keep it going and with her sister Majesty, they created the first little ponies. Mother took responsibility for the world and Majesty took the little ponies. you need to rest I'll tell you more lat-" she was cut off by Rock kissing her

"ugh.. gag me""I'll do better" Rarity said dashing forward and wrapping Sweetie Belle in her forelegs "Sweetie, I don't know who told you those things about me but maybe this will clear them up" she said putting her horn to Sweetie's creating a mind link, all of Rarity's mind was open to Sweetie but she only need to hear one thing "family comes first, if the noble snobs don't like it they can stick their bits up their Plots"

Sweetie teared up and embraced her sister as the wood shard fell off and vanished

"And after every promise you made and every friend who's life you swore to place above your own in the deference of your people, what did you do? Did you defend the mines and earn an honest pay to help your family? Did you stay to learn from Sounder like you said you would? Did you go to Equestria and learn there ways, find something that you could use to defend your people and then return, a hero like you promised yourself?" Luminous face shifted into an expression of deep disappointment. "No. You tired to play good solider and when you got the power you sought you did not return to your people to use it, but stayed to fight a fools battle all for the sake of a bunch of outsiders who tired to make you forget who you rely are."

Spell Weaver came to the top of the hill, a retort already on her lips when she saw what was on the other side of the hill and felt her breath forced out it a cry of horror.

spread out across the rocky ground where images of unimaginable horror and cruelty. She saw herself, standing with a blade held in her magic, standing over the dying body of Bottle Rocket as Rockbeaker and Fever Pitch dragged away a broken and crying Sounder. Not far from that was a Celestia, calling down fire on the village as Spell Weaver and the others held a disparately struggling Bottle back from the inferno of his home, faces twisted into sadistic parodies of there normal expressions. The ones surrounding it where no better, all images of destruction, all showing Bottle Rocket fallen and herself in a position of responsibility.

But that was not the worst of it, for there where two other images on display, both larger and clearer then the others. In the first, Bottle Rocket and her stood together with Rockbreaker and Fever Pitch flanking them. Behind she could see that Zack, Nightblade and Thrill where there as well. Together the united ponies stood triumphant, but not over Luminous, but over the battered and subjugated ponies of Rockland who glared at them, at Bottle Rocket and her with glares of pure loathing. The word "Traitor!" seemed to echo in the image.

The second was the revers, Bottle Stood tall, Sounder and the ponies of Rockland with him and cruelly twisted mockeries of herself and her friends fallen at there hooves.

The message was clear, turn against his people, kill his friends or die by there hooves. In this warped world of Bottle Rocket's subconscious mind there where no other alternatives.

Spell Weaver almost laughed bitterly as she looked at Luminous. He was a monster, but she had given him far to much credit in believing that he had driven Bottle Rocket mad. His actions had simply undone the work that ponies like herself and Sounder had done and allowed Bottle's true nightmare's work to be done. Nightmares with names like 'Rockland' and 'Dad'.

{Ran out of time, will finish this latter soon}

{Due to the nature of Nightmare Moons mythical statues pre season 1 and nightmares place as horror imagery in Nightmare Night and the Nightmare Rarity comics I am using them as a replacement for the words 'devils' and 'demons', in the modern sense of 'having personal demons'. Essentially Spell Weaver is saying that Bottle Rocket has personal derived from his upbringing, NOT that he is literately infected with the same darkness that turned Luna evil. Just wanted to make that clear as it can be a bit murky in a world where having "personal demons" could literately mean that you have a pet bottle imp.}

Spell Weaver hesitantly made her way to Bottle Rocket, who sat totally motionless. "Bottle?" She asked, surprised herself by how quavering her voice sounded.

"And now she comes, even here." Luminous looked past Bottle Rocket at Spell Weaver, his eyes burning with the same unholy light that had replaced Bottles own eyes back in the real world. "It is just like I told you, she will not stop trying to stop you till you are dead at her hoof or fully lost to your people."

"THAT'S A LIE!" Spell Weaver shouted, louder then she had intended, rushing forwarded and shoving her face into the grinning face of Luminous. "He is trying to trick you into believing his lies! He is just telling you what you think you want to here so you will do what he wants!"

"Oh my!" Luminous fanned a hurt expression. "What a fantastical story! Where did you ever come up with it? Somepony telling Bottle Rocket lies that he wants to believe about his 'friends' and 'loved ones' and trying to tell him that the only pony who tried to remind him of the truth that he knew deep down was just trying to get him to do what she, oh sorry, HE wants? How ever did you come up with that story?" Luminous made a tutting sound in the back of his thought. "Why you where so quick with that little story, its almost like you had it rehearsed... Like you have known somepony who has been using that very trick for weeks now to addle the brains of some poor little stallion." He put a hoof on Bottle Rockets back. "Why, if I didn't know any better I would think that YOU might have been doing that with poor Bottle Rocket!" His expression and voice changed to take on a mocking air as he added, "But then aging, I know better to just THINK that you have been manipulating him."

"That's a lie!" Spell Weave repeated, but she glanced nervously at Bottle Rocket. "You know its a lie, right?"

"Oh I think he is finally seeing what is and is not a lie Spell Weaver." Luminous purred as he lent down to Bottle Rockets level. "Don't you Bottle Rocket."

"You could say that." Bottle Rocket muttered. He turned to face Spell Weaver, his eyes closed. "He says I should kill you." Bottle's voice as almost calm and pleasant. Spell Weavers blood ran cold as she took a step back. "He showed me such... terrible things and pointed out in all the little ways you have ever hurt me or lied to me or tired to take advantage of me."

"No." Spell Weaver stepped back aging, tears running freely down her faces as Bottle rose to all fours. "Bottle please, you have to believe me I never wanted any of this!" She felt adrenalin pump though her body as every instinct in her body told her to attack while his defenses where down! To kill him and Luminous and protect herself, but he fought down the instinct. "I know this is hard for you and I know that you think that you need to fight us, fight me to make things right, but that's not true! I didn't pretend to fall in love with you to trick you, heck I honestly didn't want to like you as anything more then a friend! But things have gone so horribly for us and despite everything that has happened and all the ridicules things we learned you never left us. Rock would never leave us because of his sense of honor and Fever because he is so optimistic that I don't think he ever truly realized what was at stake for us personally, but you did."

She fought back her fear and approached Bottle Rocket. "You know what we could lose and you had every reason to give up on us for the ideals that you where raised on, but even when you said you wanted to or when things where at there worst and we had to do things that nopony should ever have to do you where there." She stopped in front of him. "When you fell down I picked you up, because when I wanted to give up you stayed with me and even though I was vulnerable, you did not try and use that." She reached a hoof up and touched him. "There are so many reasons why I should not love you and just as many why you should not love me back, but love is a stupid, unreasonable thing and I could not be happier about that."

"I know that." Bottle Rocket said as he opened his milky white eyes as the world was drowned in darkness.

Spell Weaver blinked as she looked around. Around her where three Bottle Rockets, one a young colt, flank bare of any cutie mark. The second was the stallion she had come to know so well, one of his eyes glowed with an evil light, but the other was just as she remembered it. The Last was an older pony, his eyes where as white as the eyes of the Bottle Rocket she had seen before. The first one glared at her glared at her with pure hatred, the middle looked uncertain and confused and the tried simply looked content. A voice, seeming to come from all of them and yet none of them echoed around her. "Weaver, I don't know if I can ever fully stop being the pony that Rockland made me. I don't know if I will ever be at peace back home or in Equestria, but I know this. I care more about you then I have ever cared about anything in my life and I don't ever want to lose you aging! Celstia knows I deserve whatever fate has in store for me for what I tired to do to you and the others, but until that time comes I will move the sun and moon if I need to to help you stop Luminous and make this world safe!"

There was a flash and Spell Weavers eyes shoot open. She turns her head and looks over at Bottle Rocket. As he watched he opened his pale, blind eyes and smiled at her. 'Thank you.' He mouthed before closing eyes aging and turning his face towered the sun.

"geez, why do we always miss the fun" Nightblade pouted after being told of today's events, she turns to glare at Thrill who raised his eyebrow at her

"hey don't look at me, your the one who wanted to go to that gingerbread house" Thrill said in his favored dark green pegasus form "but the element of laughter almost blew my cover, I swear she's psychic or something"

with the excitement died down the battlefield didn't look very damaged, the CMC were talking with Twilight who was eager to learn about the effects of ancient magic while Diamond Tiara had been taken to the hospital having yet to awaken for her trance, Silver Spoon was being looked at by a medic. The other were milling about save for Rock who paced next to Mico sitting over Bottle and Weaver's sleeping forms

Rockcrusher noticed Spell Weaver move fist and rushed to her side. "Are you alright?" He asked, allowing his normally stoic voice to falter for a moment, allowing his fear to come through. "Is Rocket?"

"I think so." Spell Weaver slowly got to her hooves as the effects of the spell dissipated. "The things I saw in there... the things that where attacking his mind where terrible, but I think we beat them."

"So will he recover? Is he going to be a threat to other ponies or is that over?" Rock Crusher's tones returned to her crisply military tone as he regained control of himself.

Spell Weaver bristled slightly at the implication implicate in Rock's words, but shook her head, it was a reasonable question after what had happened. "So no, he is still a threat?" Rock asked, misinterpreting her head shake.

"No, Rock Crusher, he is not." She said sharply. "He has been though a series of fairly traumatic experiences and while I doubt that any of us qualify as mentally healthy at this point, Bottle Rocket is no more a threat then thous fillies over there!"

Rockcrusher nodded. "I believe you. Just making sure, that's all. We have all been through alot today and he did just try and kill us I am just doing my job." He sighed. "How about his eyes? Do you know if thous will recover? Twilight said that his eyes have undergone sever arcus senilis, which may well be a sign of sever visual impairment." Rock coughed. "I am fairly certain she meant that his eyes where damaged and he might be able to see aging. Any chance that was caused by the partial position?"

Spell Weaver Looked troubled. "It could be, but he was also blind in the dream world and I don't think that the spell had effected that version of him, just what it saw. It could have been that, but it might have also bee something else, maybe he blinded himself protect himself from what he was seeing or maybe-" She was cut off by a quite voice.

"Or maybe we should stop talking about that dream world around the little ones." Bottle Rocket looked over at his friends and taped his cheek. "Also, 'he' is blind, not deaf."

"congratulations," an etheral Luminous said standing above the last wood shard "it's not every day that one let alone four break lose from my Imperium Barba" he slowly claps his forehooves together "I got to hoof it to you Bottle Rocket you are one resilant Little Pony and the rest of you too" his face takes a serious note "prepare My Little Ponies for the dawn after next I will be among you and I will claim the last piece of the puzzle and then Equis will fall"

The guards glare at Luminous, all except for Bottle Rocket just stares at the apparition. "You have hidden behind your friends, your tricks for to long." His voice is even as he closes his eyes. "You should have acted when you still had all your cards left to play, bemuse when you come here tomorrow..." He smiles. "We are going to finish this once and for all.

Luminous' gaze never faltered "says the foal who thought he could command the Light and got burned"

Rainbow snarled at the translucent earth pony "only because you made him" she snapped

Luminous chuckled "I'm afraid you misunderstand my dear, Imperium Barba or Control Whisper can't make you do anything it can only whisper in your ear and convince you to do things, the wish to has to already be present." a smug grin present on his face "Scootaloo's insecurities, Sweetie Belle's paranoia, Applebloom's desire, and Bottle Rocket's Fear. all where there before I showed up, I just gave the nudge needed to act on thouse emotions."